San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-08-16

the French which was then on foot.
They hoped to surprise this post, and
were moving SO rapidly upon 1t that
they were not more that two hours dis
tsnt from the place where he was stay
ing, and which they would have to pass
In their march. 1t matters not how he
heard the news. 1t Is sufficient to say
that he determined at once to act upon
1t.
He had no idea OF being captured by
the enemy in their advance, and he at
once set of for the pass. He knew that
the pass was defended by stout tour
and garrison OF thirty men, and he
hoped to be able to warn the men Of
their danger.
He hastened on, and arriving there
found the tower In q perfect condition.
1t had just been vacated by the garrison,
who had heard OF the approach OF the
Austrians, and had been seized with a
panic thereat and had fled, leaving their
arms, consisting Of thirty excellent mus
kets.
La Tour d. Auvergne CRASHED his teeth
with rage as he discovered this. Search
ing In the building he found several
boxes Of ammunition which the towards
had not destroyed. For q moment he
was In despair, but then, with a grim
smile, he began to fasten the main door
and pile against 1t such articles as he
could find.
When he had done this he loaded all
the guns he could find and placed them,
together with a good supply of ammuni-
ton, under the Ioop-holes that COM
handed the road by which the enemy
must advance.
Then he ate heartily of the provisions
he had brought with him, and sat down
to wait. He had absolutely formed the
heroic resolution to defend the tower
alone against the enemy.
There were some things in his favor
in such an undertaking. The pass was
steep and narrow, and the enemy's
troops could enter it only in double
files. and In doing this would be fully
exposed to the fire from the tower. The
original garrison of thirty men could
easily have held it against division,
and now one man was about to hold it
against regiment.
1t was dark when La Tour d'Au-
vergne reached the tower, and he had
to wait some time for the enemy. They
were longer in coming than he expected,
and for while he was tempted to be-
lieve they had abandoned the expedi-
ton.
About midnight, however, his prac-
ticed ear caught the tramp Of feet.
Every moment the sound came nearer,
and at last he heard them entering the
detile. Immediately he discharged a
couple of muskets into the darkness to
let them know that he knew of their
presence and intentions, and he heard
the quick, short commands OF the
officers, and from the sounds, he suppOs-
ed that the troops were retiring from
thespass. Until the morning he was I'M
disturbed. The Austrian commander,
feeling assured that the garrison had
been informed of his movements, and
was prepared to receive him, saw that
he could not surprise the post as he had
hoped to do, and deemed 1t prudent to
wait till daylight before making bis
attack.
At sunrise he summoned the garrison
to surrender. Agrenadier answered the
summons.
Say to your commander" he esid, in
reply 70 the messenger, THAT ttAa gaFri-
son will defend this pass to the last ex-
Cremity."
The officer who had borne the flag Of
truce retired, and In about ten minutes
a piece of artillery was brought into the
pass and opened on the tower. But to
effect this, the piece had to be placed
directly In front of the tower, and with
In easy musket range of it. They had
scarcely got the gun In position, when a
rapid fire was opened on it from the
tower, and continued with such marked
effect that the piece was Withdrawn
after the second discharge, with loss OF
five men.
This was bad beginning, so half an
hour after the gun WAS withdrawn, the
Austrian Colonel ordered an assault.
AS the troops entered the defile they
were received with rapid and accurate
fire. 80 that when they had passed over
half the distance they had to traverse,
they had lost fifteen men. Disheartened
by this, they returned to the mouth Of
the defile.
Three more assaults were repulsed In
this manner, and the enemy by sunset
had lost forty-fiye men, whom ten were
killed.
The firing from the tower had been
rapid and accurate, but the Austrian
commander had noticed this peculiarly
about it-every shot seemed to come
from the same place. For a while this
perplexed him, but at last he came to
the conclusion that there was number
OF loop. holes close together in the tower,
so constructed as to command the ra-
vine perfectly.
AT sunset the last assault was made
and repulsed, and at dark the Austrian
commander sent second summons to
the garrison.
This time the answer was favorable.
The garrison offered to surrender at sun
rise the next morning II allowed to
march out with their arms and return to
the army unmolested. After some hest
tation, the terms were accepted.
Meantime La Tour d'Auvergne had
passed an anxious day in the tower. He
had opened the fight with thirty loaded
mIskets, but had not been able to dis
charge them all. He had fired with sur
prising rRpidity, but with surprising &C.
curacy, for 1t was well known in the
army that he had never thrown away a
shot. He had determined to stand to his